A sound educational infrastructure is essential for the all-round development of the nation. Nations around the world have given significant emphasis to the development of education so that it can produce students who can help in the economic growth of their respective nations. But there are many nations where education is still a neglected sector mainly due to years of civil war, economic and political instability, or other factors.

Here we are discussing total enrollment in secondary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population of official secondary education age. The European nations and the United States have paid the maximum attention to the building of a robust educational system. According to the World Bank data of 2014, regarding the percentage of Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in secondary education (taking into consideration both the sexes), the European Union ranked the highest recording the percentage of 113 percent. In fact, what’s interesting to note here is that GER can cross the 100 percent mark because of the inclusion of under-aged and over-ages students. These are students who have started education early or late and have repeated their grades.

Meanwhile, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia ranked at the lowest level showing figures of 43 percent and 65 percent respectively.

Among the European nations the highest ranked was Belgium, whose Gross Enrollment Ratio in secondary education stood at a whopping 165 percent. Incidentally, Belgium also topped the World Bank list. Meanwhile, Malta ranked the lowest among European nations but still commanded a respectable 85 percent.

The African nations were placed at the bottom of the list with Niger, the lowest ranked country, showing a figure of just 19 percent. However, many nations had healthy figures such as South Africa, which recorded a figure of 94 percent and Cabo Verde, which recorded 93 percent. Meanwhile, in the United States the Gross Enrollment Ratio in secondary education stood at 98 percent.